The Tampa Bay Rays are already sizing up ways to strengthen a rotation that could use another arm before the MLB trade deadline, and their search has widened beyond the biggest names on the market.
Tarik Skubal has drawn plenty of the early buzz, but he is not the only starter Tampa Bay has been tied to. The Rays were also linked recently to New York Mets right-hander Freddy Peralta, who is on an expiring deal with about $3 million still owed. And now there is another Mets pitcher in the mix.
According to Will Sammon, Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo of The Athletic (subscription required), Tampa Bay had scouts on hand for Clay Holmes’ latest rehab start as he works back from a fibula fracture suffered in the Subway Series against the New York Yankees in mid-May.
“Scouts from the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks were among those who flocked to Dunedin, Fla., to evaluate Holmes,” they wrote.
The Athletic also reported that two executives who saw Holmes’ most recent outing said he “looked big-league ready.” Holmes is scheduled to pitch again on Aug. 2, and the next step will be worth watching closely: whether that appearance comes in the majors with New York or in another rehab outing with Single-A St. Lucie.
He gave the scouts plenty to like on July 28. Holmes tossed four scoreless innings and needed just 59 pitches to get through the start.
For most of his career, Holmes was known strictly as a reliever, working out of the bullpen for six seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Yankees. New York’s decision to move him into the rotation raised eyebrows, but he has handled the transition with ease.
In 42 appearances for the Mets, including 40 starts, Holmes has posted a 3.26 ERA across 218.1 innings with 174 strikeouts, along with an ERA+ of 127 and 4.1 bWAR.
He signed a three-year, $38 million contract in free agency before the 2025 season, and he can opt out of the final year and $12 million to return to the market this winter. With labor unrest looming, that decision will be one to watch.
If Tampa Bay were to land Holmes, the fit would be straightforward: another starter capable of helping in meaningful games down the stretch and into the postseason. He may not carry Skubal’s ceiling, but he would almost certainly cost far less.
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